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Abstract

This book provides a multifaceted array of answers to the question, In the ten years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, how has America responded? In a series of essays, RAND authors lend a farsighted perspective to the national dialogue on 9/11's legacy. The essays assess the military, political, fiscal, social, cultural, psychological, and even moral implications of U.S. policymaking since 9/11. Part One of the book addresses the lessons learned from America's accomplishments and mistakes in its responses to the 9/11 attacks and the ongoing terrorist threat. Part Two explores reactions to the extreme ideologies of the terrorists and to the fears they have generated. Part Three presents the dilemmas of asymmetrical warfare and suggests ways to resolve them. Part Four cautions against sacrificing a long-term strategy by imposing short-term solutions, particularly with respect to air passenger security and counterterrorism intelligence. Finally, Part Five looks at the effects of the terrorist attacks on the U.S. public health system, at the potential role of compensation policy for losses incurred by terrorism, and at the possible long-term effects of terrorism and counterterrorism on American values, laws, and society.

Winning Every Battle but Losing the War Against Terrorists and Insurgents

Christopher Paul

Chapter Nine

The Strategic Dilemma of Terrorist Havens Calls for Their Isolation, Not Elimination

Kim Cragin

Chapter Ten

Our Own Behavior Can Be Our Weakest Link — or Our Strongest Weapon

Todd C. Helmus

Part Four

Driven by Unreasonable Demands

Chapter Eleven

Don't Let Short-Term Urgency Undermine a Long-Term Security Strategy

Brian A. Jackson

Chapter Twelve

Flight of Fancy? Air Passenger Security Since 9/11

K. Jack Riley

Chapter Thirteen

The Intelligence of Counterterrorism

Gregory F. Treverton

Part Five

Inspired to Build a Stronger America

Chapter Fourteen

The Public Health System in the Wake of 9/11: Progress Made and Challenges Remaining

Jeanne S. Ringel and Jeffrey Wasserman

Chapter Fifteen

The Link Between National Security and Compensation for Terrorism Losses

Lloyd Dixon, Fred Kipperman, and Robert T. Reville

Chapter Sixteen

The Land of the Fearful, or the Home of the Brave?

Brian Michael Jenkins

Book Review Excerpts

"The attacks on 9/11 set in motion a great array of changes in America. These essays capture this upheaval, but better still they do something RAND is so well positioned to do: They provide expert assessments of where our responses are strong, where they have fallen short, and how we need to change yet more."

- Richard J. Danzig, Chairman, Center for a New American Security, and Former U.S. Secretary of the Navy

"This book is a much-needed call to mark this anniversary by reassessing those things we now accept as common wisdom. The perspectives and insights in these essays are inadequately reflected in the current discussion and debate."

- Suzanne E. Spaulding, Former Executive Director, National Commission on Terrorism; and Former Executive Director, Commission to Assess the Organization of the Federal Government to Combat the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction

"Despite the killing of Osama bin Laden and the advent of the 'Arab Spring,' America will continue to need an effective counterterrorist strategy. These papers provide a good outline of the progress America has made in a number of vital areas."

- L. Paul Bremer III, Former Chairman, National Commission on Terrorism, and Former Head, Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq

Funding for this book was made possible by RAND's Investment in People and Ideas program, which combines philanthropic contributions from individuals, foundations, and private-sector firms with earnings from RAND's endowment and operations to support innovative research on issues crucial to the policy debate but that reach beyond the boundaries of traditional client sponsorship.

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